Photo/Illutration The Toyoake city government website explains why an ordinance limiting smartphone use is necessary. (The Asahi Shimbun)

The Toyoake city government in Aichi Prefecture has submitted a proposed ordinance to its municipal assembly limiting the use of smartphones for leisure purposes to two hours a day for all residents.

While it can be deemed a "conceptual ordinance" since there are no provisions concerning obligation or penalties, the statute intrudes into the sphere of the daily lives of individuals.

As such, there is a need for a convincing explanation, but the response by the city government has been far from reassuring.

City officials said consultations submitted by residents raising children were the catalyst for the ordinance. 

But because of the sudden nature of the proposal, the city government received more than 100 opinions from citizens through phone calls or emails.

About 70 percent expressed opposition, with some residents asking why use should be restricted through an ordinance.

City officials have said citizens would not be forced to follow the edict and that smartphone use for study or work would be excluded. They added that leisure use could be extended to three or four hours if that was the result of discussions within the household.

The extremely flexible explanation leads one to wonder why an ordinance is needed in the first place.

The proposal said measures for use of smartphones would be based on rules decided by each household, but many of those held concerns about the effects of extended use.

There is a need for specific explanations, such as the extent to which the city government and schools would become involved in the matter.

It would be regrettable if the only result was opposition from residents.

In 2020, the Kagawa prefectural government enacted an ordinance intended to deal with addiction to internet games. It called for discussions within the household to limit internet game playing as much as possible for those under 18 to one hour or less per day.

But a study conducted in 2024 by Kagawa Prefecture found that 65 percent of junior high school students played online games for more than an hour a day.

Reality will not be changed only through calls for change.

Unless data is presented about the health effects from the long use of smartphones, residents will not readily accept any limitations.

The central government should normally present such data after conducting a detailed study.

A study by the Children and Families Agency found that those between the ages 10 and 17 use the internet more than five hours on weekdays.

There are various concerns about such long use, such as the relationship to school achievement and the dangers of using smartphones while walking.

Australia in December banned social media use by those under 16 and the law also contained fines for operators that violated that provision.

While there are doubts about such an across-the-board ban, there is a need for discussion at the central government level.

The focus of the Toyoake proposal is children. If that is the reason for submitting the proposal to the assembly, the members should begin by hearing from those directly involved, the children and their guardians, about the actual situation.

Among the issues that will have to be addressed are whether parents are allowing infants to view smartphones in crowded places because they do not want their crying to bother those around them.

Or perhaps some mothers who care for the children by themselves depend on the device to give them more time to handle household chores.

What would children do if they were limited in the use of smartphones? Are there parks and athletic fields where they can play freely and safely?

In the end, the issue boils down to whether an environment and local neighborhood has been created that comfortably looks over parents raising their young children.

It is the responsibility of local governments to establish a pathway for community building that does not rely on smartphones.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 1

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